The Hustler Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by Bert Gordon (played by George C. Scott) in the film The Hustler, directed by Robert Rossen (1961).

Eddie Felson is a pool shark, and every day he's hustlin'… and drinkin'… and sleepin' around—you get the picture. A big-time gambler named Bert Gordon, who has ulterior motives of his own, takes it upon himself to call Eddie out on his self-destructive tendencies, hoping to make a better pool player out of him (and maybe make some big bucks off him in the process).

Gordon does this by being blunt, telling him, "Eddie, you're a born loser"—a comment that spurs Eddie into trying to figure out whether he's a loser or a winner. Internal conflict is always dramatic!

Where you've heard it

Chances are, you've heard this if someone named Eddie—Eddie Murphy, Eddie Munster, Eddie Vedder—is acting like a loser. We hope Eddie takes it as motivation, and not just a nakedly cruel insult.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Sometimes friends need a harsh reality check, but this quote is bumped up a bit on the pretentious factor scale by the fact that Bert Gordon is only trying to help Eddie so he can bet on him and earn a big payday.